to tie or not to tie
by tombombadillo
Summary: "is that the paper or the silk?" "I believe it's the whipped."


**A/N because it's their two week anniversary and apparently that means Kate has to buy Castle a ridiculous tie. Literally the shortest and worst thing ever because THIS NEEDED TO BE WRITTEN and I should be getting ready to go out so I'm not concentrating on it that much but w/e I don't care.**

**Not beta'd. My spell check doesn't work. If you see a spelling mistake or something point it out and I'll fix it.**

**Disclaimer: I am called Kate. I am not a Beckett (as much as I convince myself otherwise) and as much as I would love to, I do not own Castle, nor do I get to sleep with him.**

It was a spur of the moment buy. Lanie had dragged her out shopping, using the distraction of new shoes to try and wrangle details out of Kate about the past two weeks. Kate herself is not really paying attention, only answering questions with vague yes's and no's as she rifles idly through cloths rack after clothes rack. She could be agreeing to anything but she's not sure she cares. Lanie doesn't seem to mind though. In fact she's rather amused at Kate's vacant personality. Keeps calling her hopeless, sappy and possibly love-sick at one point. But Kate's not denying it. Doesn't see the point. Everyone knows it. Can't exactly stop making love eyeballs at him every chance she gets. Which recently has been most of the time. This has to be the first time in the past two weeks when she hasn't actually within talking distance of Castle. She keeps turning around expecting him to be at her shoulder.

She's leaning against a wall waiting for Lanie to finish paying for her own purchases, phone in her hand because she wants to talk to him. It's been all of two hours since she last saw him and already she wants to phone him because she misses him. Lanie's right. She's a hopeless, sappy, love-sick puppy. Oh, she's done for. Unless she distracts herself. She wanders, trying to think of anything but Castle and his loft and Alexis and home-cooked meals and movie nights and showers and his bed (and office, and bathroom and the sofa's too). And that's when she spots it. It's absolutely horrendous. It's ugly and horrible and it makes her feel slightly sick. Which is why it's perfect. A mix of browns and pinks and greens and oranges, all swirled together. She can't help but smile.

He's far too busy attacking the next chapter of his book to notice her come in the door. He's been writing like a madman recently. Ideas flowing out of him everywhere he turns. Something Kate says, something he does. He has to run off to his laptop, type furiously for a couple of hours and then come back to the conversation as if he'd never been gone. It's what he's been doing since he ambushed Kate on her way out this morning, and so far he has ten new pages and is well on his way to actually reaching his deadline (for once). He's possibly got his tongue stuck between his teeth because someone laughs. Not Alexis. Alexis giggles. He looks up, grins at her as he closes his laptop. "Have fun?"

"I think Lanie had more fun interrogating me than actual shopping, but yes." She leans over his desk, waving a small bag in his face. "I bought you a present." He raises an eyebrow at her and she laughs again, waving it to and fro slightly. "Don't panic, it's nothing bad."

He hooks the bag off her finger and drops it into his lap. She's watching him with her lip between her teeth, a twinkle in her eye, barely suppressing a grin. He looks in the bag for a moment, eyes bugged and then laughs. "You bought me a tie." he holds it up with a finger and a thumb, as if the article was somehow contageous. "You bought me an ugly tie."

"Isn't it necessary for a two week anniversary?" she walks around the desk, stands in the v of his legs and plucks the tie out of his hands. "I could have bought you a whip, but a tie is so much more versatile." So saying she wraps it around his forehead, tying it in a knot just above his right eyebrow. He tugs on her hips until she's effectively sat in his lap, hums as her arms wrap around his neck. He can tell she's still trying not to laugh.

"On a scale of one to ridiculous, how stupid do I look?"

Kate tilts her head to the side. "Dressing up as Elvis was worse."

"You _liked_ Elvis."

"Doesn't mean you didn't look like a complete idiot. Which you did, I might point out."

He pulls her closer, huffs a laugh against her collarbone as her thighs tighten against his. "I've still got the costume."

Kate sits back, runs her hands through his hair until it sticks up in every direction. She was never one for tidy hair. Not on men, anyway. "You going to keep the tie on?"


End file.
